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Gene-edited tomatoes add vitamin D

British scientists have successfully created a gene-edited tomato that contains as much vitamin D3 as two eggs or 28g of tuna.

Tomatoes contain an enzyme that converts provitamin D3 into cholesterol. By altering this enzyme, the scientists stopped the metabolism, meaning that vitamin D3 still accumulates in the fruit and leaves of tomatoes.

To do that, the team of experts used the gene-editing technique Crispr-Cas9. Professor Jie Li, of the John Innes Center in Norwich, says the technology is like a molecular tweezers, which can precisely cut small pieces of genes to enhance desired traits in plants, much faster than the conventional process. traditional breeding. The gene-edited tomato does not contain any foreign DNA fragments from other species.

“Genetically edited tomatoes contain higher than recommended levels of provitamin D3, which is good for many people’s health, especially when it’s easy to eat and buy,” said Guy Poppy, a professor of ecology at University of Southampton, said.

According to calculations, the amount of provitamin D3 in one tomato is equivalent to two medium eggs or 28g of tuna.





Experts successfully created genetically modified tomatoes to increase vitamin D content. Photo: Racool Studio

Experts successfully created genetically modified tomatoes to increase vitamin D content. Photo: Racool Studio

For the metabolism to be effective, the gene-edited fruit still needs to be exposed to UVB light, that is, grown outdoors. The researchers plan to test this in an upcoming field study.

“This is a great example of using gene-editing technology to make crop-specific changes,” said Professor Gideon Henderson, scientific adviser at the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. .

Unlike genetically modified food (GMO), tomatoes edited by Crispr-Cas9 technology, do not contain genes from other organisms. Professor Cathie Martin at the John Innes Center, the study’s supervisor, said scientists have demonstrated the potential of this technique to induce the nutritional properties of foods.

Thuc Linh (According to Guardian)

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